Kerala’s Adavi-Gavi tourism circuit a haven for visitors
Kerala “the God’s Own Country” has been a major tourist attraction since time immemorial for its palm-fringed beaches, Western Ghats hills, forests and wildlife. The state has also included Konni in Pathanamthitta district in the tourism circuit of the Central Tourism Department through ecotourism in Adavi in Thannithode Panchayat and Gavi....
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‘God’s gift’ is not so unique
Many veteran BJP leaders holding high positions in these days are trying their level best to deify Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The cult of Modi keeps on growing. After being portrayed as one of the strongest-ever prime ministers of India, Modi is now projected as "god's gift" to the country.
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Pope Francis approves sainthood for Mother Teresa
Vatican: Pope Francis on Tuesday approved sainthood for Mother Teresa, the missionary nun who was a symbol of compassion for her care of the sick and the destitute. The pontiff set September 4 as the date for her canonisation...
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A punch of political patriotism
The Narendra Modi-led BJP government’s economic agenda takes a backseat; and the campus politics is back, once again, reminding only of the days of early 70’s. Is the country drifting towards an emergency like situation?
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Defeat devilish designs
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The repeated terrorist attacks on India, the largest democracy in the world, which has the third largest defence force having 13.25 lakh personnel and spends an annual budget of over 40 billion US dollar....
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Why is relationship pivotal?
If one molecule is broken, the entire bonding is affected, and as such, physical and chemical structures are entirely changed. Behaviour is also changed on a par. Human relationship is more or less like chemical bonding.
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Climate change threatens livelihoods of 600 million Indians
India is home to 30 per cent of the world’s poorest, those living on less than $1.90 a day. Of the 1.3 billion Indians, 304 million do not have access to electricity; 92 million have no access to safe drinking water. And India is going to be hammered by climate change.
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Processed meat can cause cancer, says WHO experts
Paris: Eating processed meat can lead to bowel cancer in humans while red meat is a likely cause of the disease, World Health Organisation (WHO) experts said on Monday in findings that could sharpen debate over the merits of a meat-based diet.
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RSS pushing ‘Hindu Rashtra’ agenda, says Admiral Ramdas
New Delhi: In an open letter to President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Navy chief Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas alleged that the “RSS and their network” were leading a “systematic and well orchestrated attempt to impose...
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High alert in Israel after Palestinian deaths
Jerusalem: Tensions are soaring across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories as stabbing attacks and violent confrontations between protesters and soldiers continue to build momentum, despite calls from leaders on both sides for de-escalation.
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What an ISIS chemical strike did to one Syrian family
GAZIANTEP, Turkey: The warning from the front lines came by walkie-talkie. An Islamic State artillery position had boomed to the east, signalling that an incoming round was whistling toward Marea, a town on northern Syria’s agricultural flatland.
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Modi’s Silicon Valley swing: Who is wooing who?
New York: It is being called Narendra Modi’s Silicon Valley swing, a two-day visit to California where most of the global tech giants have their base, away from his more political agenda in New York. But what is still not clear is whether it is Modi wooing the tech companies or the other way round?
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Catholic nun found murdered in a convent in Kerala
Pala (Kerala): A Catholic nun was found dead in her convent in Pala on Thursday morning and the post-mortem report confirmed that she was murdered. Sister Amala was hit on her head with a metal object which led to her death, the report stated.
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APC killed, trooper injured as Naxals ambush at patrol party
Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh): An Assistant Platoon Commandant (APC) of Special Task Force (STF) was killed while another trooper suffered minor injuries in a fierce exchange of fire between the security forces and the Maoists in the dense forest near Banjarin temple ...
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Man who wanted a son throws two daughters into well
Balod (Chhattisgarh): A 32-year-old farmer has allegedly killed his two minor daughters by throwing them into a well after his wife refused to have another child to satisfy his demand for a son at Bheem-Kanhaar village in Balod district of Chhattisgarh...
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One church’s sunset means a new day for another
Attendance at the Southern Baptist church on Scenic Drive had dwindled to about 15 most Sundays. The potted plant by the pulpit was from yet another member’s funeral. There was $5,000 in the church bank account ...
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Two children burnt alive by aunt and her paramour
BHILAI (Chhattisgarh): In a heinous and heart rendering incident, two children were burnt alive in Utai village of Durg district in Chhattisgarh state on Monday noon. According to police sources, the children were presumably killed by setting them afire...
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Four held in Navi Mumbai church attack case
Mumbai: Three days after the attack on a church here, police on Tuesday claimed to have cracked the case with the arrest of four persons. “Four persons have been arrested in connection with the attack on the Saint George Catholic church....
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72-year old nun critical after gang-rape by bandits
KOLKATA: A 72-year-old nun has been gang-raped by bandits at a Christian missionary school in eastern India. According to reports, up to a dozen attackers broke in at around 1am on Saturday before tying up several of the nuns on the premises.
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Glaciers in eastern Himalayas melting: Report
KATHMANDU: Scientists have found fresh evidence of retreating glaciers in the eastern Himalayas in India and Nepal, though the water flow in numerous Himalayan rivers will not decline significantly, an international institute said here on Monday.
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Modi vows to protect all religious minorities
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday vowed to protect all religious groups, an apparent response to a series of attacks on Christian institutions in New Delhi fuelling concerns that minorities are being targeted by Hindu zealots.
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Pope Francis denounces euthanasia as ‘sin against God’
VATICAN: Pope Francis denounced the right to die movement Saturday, saying it’s a “false sense of compassion” to consider euthanasia as an act of dignity when in fact it’s a sin against God and creation. Francis made the comments to the Association...
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IS terror group plans to seize Iran’s nuclear secrets
LONDON: The Islamic State (ISIS) terror group plans to seize Iran’s nuclear secrets, unleash a vicious campaign of ethnic cleansing and Nazi-style eugenics to consolidate and expand its self-declared caliphate, according to a seized policy manifesto of the dreaded outfit.
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Pope Francis condemns Islamist militants
TIRANA Albania: Pope Francis, in his strongest criticism of Islamist militants to date, said on Sunday no religious group which used violence and oppression could claim to be “the armour of God.”
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Islamic State fighters execute 250 Syrian soldiers
BAGHDAD: Islamic State fighters say they have “executed” 250 Syrian soldiers, as President Barack Obama prepares to hold crisis talks with his security aides. The soldiers were captured at the weekend when the Sunni militant group ...
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Fatwa has no place in India, rules Supreme Court
NEW DELHI: Fatwa has no place in independent India and cannot be used to punish innocent, the Supreme Court on Monday ruled. The court said a fatwa has no legal sanction, and restrained Shariat courts from unilaterally issuing ...
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US court dismisses 1984 case against Sonia Gandhi
NEW YORK: A US federal court in Brooklyn has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Sikh rights organisation accusing India’s Congress party president Sonia Gandhi of shielding party leaders allegedly involved in violence against Sikhs in November 1984.
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Union ministry expansion: Kerala may get a berth
NEW DELHI: Kerala may get a representation in the Union Ministry when Prime Minister Narendra Modi expands the council of ministers soon. The ministerial expansion is likely after June 20 and before the Budget session of Parliament.
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Rape victim’s mother attacked in Uttar Pradesh
LUCKNOW: Police in northern India have arrested three men for brutally attacking the mother of a rape victim after she refused to withdraw her complaint, an official said Friday, as investigators sought clues in a gang rape elsewhere in the state...
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Non-graduate HRD minister in Union ministry!
NEW DEKHI: The Congress on Tuesday taunted the BJP-led government saying the new Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani is not even a graduate, while the BJP retorted that the responsibility was given on the basis of leadership ability.
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Will miss working with you, Obama tells Manmohan Singh
NEW DELHI: US President Barack Obama on Saturday called up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh soon after he demitted office and said he was one of the few public leaders whom he ‘admired’ and that he would ‘miss’ working with him on ‘day-to-day basis.’
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Narendra Modi thunders to historic election win
NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi thundered to victory on Friday in India’s election, trouncing the ruling Nehru-Gandhi dynasty in a seismic political shift that gives the Hindu nationalist and his party a mandate for sweeping economic reform.
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No houses on rent for Indians in Singapore
SINGAPORE: Many online home rental websites in Singapore include the words “No Indians, no People’s Republic of China (PRC),” which is sometimes followed by the word “sorry”, leading to increasing rental discrimination in the city.
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Fatwa cannot be forced upon people, Supreme Court rules
NEW DELHI: Fatwa issued by Muslim clerics cannot be forced upon people and the state has to protect persons who are harassed for not following such diktats, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said while expressing reservation in interfering with shariat courts.
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Reliance Group will invest Rs 50,000 crore in Madhya Pradesh
BHOPAL: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the state government is committed to further accelerating pace of development by inviting maximum industrial investment to the state. For this, the state government is ensuring every possible effort for transparency and good governance.
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Narendra Modi's 'wife' accepts being ignored
NEW DELHI: The woman who calls herself the wife of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said in a rare interview on Saturday that she doesn\'t ‘feel bad’ that he has cut her out of his life. Modi has never commented on numerous reports that he wed Jashodaben, 62, in a traditional arranged marriage when she was 17.
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Madhya Pradesh worst even among BIMARU states
BHOPAL: The BJP’s prime minister-in-waiting Narendra Modi may have hailed Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for shedding the \'BIMARU\' tag recently, however, the state wallows in the lowest rungs among BIMARU states in the country in the learning curve.
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Gene causing autism sufferers’ memory loss unlocked
LONDON: One in three people have inherited a genetic variation that impairs their ability to remember faces, according to a study that could explain why some individuals recall everyone they have ever met while others have difficulty...
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4,500-year-old city discovered in China
BEIJING: Chinese archaeologists on Wednesday excavated a 4,500-year-old city Neolithic Chinese city in eastern Anhui Province. Part of a trapezoidal city wall and moat from the Nanchengzi Ruins in Guzhen County have been uncovered, along with a great number of houses...
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Gauhati High Court declares CBI ‘unconstitutional’
GUWAHATI: In a curious judgement, the Gauhati high court has struck down the resolution through which the Central Bureau of Investigation was set up and held all its actions as ‘unconstitutional’. The judgement by the division bench...
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‘My heart feels it’s time’, says Sachin Tendulkar
NEW DELHI: Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday announced his decision to retire from Test cricket after playing his landmark 200th match against the West Indies next month, bringing an end to the intense speculation about his future.
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Power Distribution Company sets up 186 call centres
BHOPAL: To provide quality service to its consumers, Madhya Pradesh Eastern Region Power Distribution Company has set up 186 call centres in the region. Of these, 41 are consumer service centres and 145 electricity service centres.
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Land demarcation goes hi-tech in Madhya Pradesh
BHOPAL: Land demarcation through traditional method will become a thing of past soon in Madhya Pradesh. For ensuring quality in demarcation, all districts are being provided four electronic total station machines (ETSMs) each.
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Madhya Pradesh has 35 lakh young voters
BHOPAL: Youth participation will be an important factor in the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha elections scheduled in the year-end, as 35 lakh of the total 4.64 crore electorate of the state are in the age group of 18-19 years.
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Naxals recruit 4,000 children, including girls as cadres
NEW DELHI: Naxals have recruited nearly 4,000 children, including girls, as part of a recruitment drive to strengthen depleted cadre base. Official sources said the children were recruited for gathering intelligence about movement of security forces...
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Mysterious UFO sighted on India-China border by Indian Army
NEW DELHI: Indian Army troops have sighted mysterious unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the Ladakh sector along the Line of Actual Control with China. On August 4, the UFO was sighted by Army troops in Lagan Khel area in Demchok in Ladakh area in the evening...
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Solar Scam: LDF calls off Secretariat siege
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The siege laid by the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) on the Kerala secretariat has been called off following an offer from the United Democratic Front (UDF) government to institute a judicial probe into the solar scam.
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Muslims cannot be blamed for reacting: Sharad Pawar
PUNE: Terming Ishrat Jahan, who was killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Gujarat Police, as an “innocent college girl”, Union Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said Muslims cannot be blamed for reacting to ‘atrocities’ against them.
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India launches first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant
KOCHI: Defence minister AK Antony on Monday launched Indian’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant here. With the launch of INS Vikrant, India has joined the select club of countries capable of designing and building an aircraft carrier of this size and capability.
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LoC killings: Army Chief pulls up formation commanders
NEW DELHI: Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh has pulled up the commanders of formations deployed in Poonch sector on the Line of Control (LoC) in the wake of two major raids by the Pakistan Army special troops in the last eight months that led to gruesome killings of Indian soldiers.
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6.25 crore saplings planted under Hariyali Mahotsav
BHOPAL: About 6.26 crore saplings have been planted under Hariyali Mahotsav in the state since June 1, 2013. Forest Department has set a target of planting 7 crore saplings during monsoon. Process is underway to plant remaining saplings.
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New livelihood opportunities for economic uplift of rural poor
BHOPAL: Integrated efforts will be made towards constantly benefiting the rural poor through livelihoods activities for their economic uplift. Besides, large-scale benefits under various government welfare schemes and social security programmes will also be extended to them.
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BPL families will get 5kg food grains per head
BHOPAL: To increase the ambit of food security in Madhya Pradesh, the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Monday decided to give 5 kg food grains per person to each BPL families.
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Vatican panel clears Pope John Paul II for sainthood
VATICAN CITY: Pope John Paul II has cleared the final obstacle before being made a saint, awaiting just the final approval from Pope Francis and a date for the ceremony that could come as soon as December 8, a Vatican official and news reports said on Tuesday.
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Eating more chicken may keep off colon cancer in teens
NEW YORK: Teens who eat more chicken and fish may lower their risk of developing colon cancer, a new study has claimed. In a study of nearly 20,000 women, those who ate more chicken during their teen years had lower risks of developing colorectal adenomas...
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Madhya Pradesh will be ideal state in country
BHOPAL: Union Joint Secretary Rural Development Rajesh Bhushan has lauded electronic transfer of funds for payment of wages against works and material, administrative expenses etc under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in Madhya Pradesh.
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Madhya Pradesh pioneer state in development: Chouhan
BHOPAL: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that Madhya Pradesh has become pioneer state in the country. Officers of the Union Planning Commission have admitted this fact recently and lauded development works done in the state...
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GMC hospitals perform 9768 major operations last year
BHOPAL: As many as 9768 major operations were performed last year in the hospitals affiliated to Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal. College Dean Dr Nirbhay Shrivastava informed that 5753 major operations have been performed in Hamidia Hospital and 4015 in Sultania Lady Hospital affiliated to the college.
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Thrissur Pooram provides visual treat to thousands
THRISSUR: Thousands of people, including foreign tourists, had a visual treat of the parade of 30 richly caparisoned pachyderms and performance by over 500 top-ranked percussionists at the Thrissur Pooram, the famous temple festival of Kerala, here on Sunday.
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JSS sends signals to snap ties with UDF
ALAPPUZHA: The Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy (JSS), one of the constituents of UDF in Kerala, on Saturday sent out a signal that it was not interested in remaining in the Congress-led ruling coalition as its sentiments had not been respected.
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Educate women for Muslims’ uplift: Dr Asma Zehra
Bhopal: To create awareness among Muslim women about social reform, family disputes, maintenance, divorce and khula issues, inheritance, parents rights and duties, eradication of social evils and customs a day-long social reform convention was organised here at Indira Priyadarshini College.
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GMC hospitals perform 805 major operations in March
BHOPAL: As many as 805 major operations were performed during March in hospitals affiliated to Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal. According to college dean Dr Nirbhay Shrivastava, 457 major operations have been performed in Hamidia Hospital and 348 in Sultania Lady Hospital affiliated to the college.
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RTI Act provisions should not be misused: Samdani
BHOPAL: “The Right to Information Act is meant for the weaker sections of the society, especially dalits, minorities and the backward classes of the country. It is very beneficial for them and due to this Act the poor and backward sections of the society are in a position to get more and more information
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JP will be developed as model hospital: Chouhan
BHOPAL: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said that the Jai Prakash (JP) hospital in the state capital will be developed as a model hospital. However, he added that it would take some more time to get CT scan and MRI facilities started at the hospital.
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Rajnath dashes Chouhan’s national hopes
BHOPAL: The constitution of the Rajnath Singh team has evoked mixed reaction in Madhya Pradesh. There were high hopes in the camp of the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan that he will find a place in the Parliamentary Board of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Brig Ali hails SSAF on completing a decade of fruitful service
BHOPAL: In India there are two Taj Mahals, one is there at Agra & the other being at Aligarh. The one at Agra was built by Moghul emperor Shahjahan in memory of his beloved wife and the one at Aligarh was built by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan to improve the educational backwardness of the Muslim...
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Six Maoists including two women and a minor arrested
NARAYANPUR: In a major success, security forces on Sunday busted a temporary camp of Maoists in the dense forests of Nelnar in Abujhmarh area, about 30 km south from Narayanpur district headquarters and arrested six ultras including two women and a minor.
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Shun emotional issues, engage in dialogue: Maulana Mujaddidi
BHOPAL: Muslims should save their energy from sentimental and emotional issues, which often leads to violence, and concentrate more on socio-economic development and engage themselves in dialogue and negotiations with the policy makers which has great relevance and importance in today’s atmosphere.
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Two Maoists carrying Rs 1 lakh cash reward surrender
BIJAPUR: In a psychological win for security forces over left wing insurgents, two hard-core Maoists, one of them is carrying cash reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, surrendered before the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Bastar range, Himanshu Gupta, at Bijapur on Tuesday.
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Afzal Guru's execution is Congress one-upmanship political game: SDPI
BHOPAL: The Social Democratic Party of India, (SDPI), has flayed the Congress-led UPA Govt for the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru which was carried out in a budget-level secretive manner without informing his family members and his lawyers and without even fulfilling the last wishes of a dying person.
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MP tops in rape cases: ‘Custodians’ come out with cockeyed convictions
BHOPAL: Devoid, as they are, of genuine humanism and lacking the capacity to comprehend and analyse things in their proper perspective, the ‘custodians’ of Indian culture, ‘responsible’ politicians and ‘spiritual’ leaders have laid bare their cockeyed ideas and concepts by making irresponsible, unethical...
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Modi stands on a slippery slope in Gujarat
BHOPAL: During my five-day visit to Gujarat from December 3-7, I interacted with people belonging to various sections of the society. I met teachers, doctors, traders, auto drivers, workers employed in hotels and other establishments, government employees and journalists.
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Feud among higher-ups fails state health services
BHOPAL: Too many cooks spoil the broth. The functioning of Madhya Pradesh Health Department, which is already infested with major scams for years, has come to a grinding halt because of the internal feud among its senior bureaucrats.
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MP minister claims Rs 19.52 lakh compensation from Air India
BHOPAL: Minister of State for Agriculture Brijendra Pratap Singh on Wednesday filed a case with District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum against Air India demanding compensation of Rs19,52,536 for the inconvenience caused to him and insult to his dignity and status.
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Shivraj emerges as national leader of farmers
BHOPAL: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, though often beleaguered with controversies, has been known to be most popular chief minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but by holding the Atal Kisan Mahapanchayat Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has proved it that he is no less than Modi.
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